Arron and I, likely around 89 or 90 Never Forget. That is the ubiquitous 9/11 statement is it not? And as always it perplexes me. This year in particular, with all the media attention about the Mosque in Manhattan and the burning of the Koran in Florida, how can we...
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Nine Years – Remember or Forget?
Every Day is Father’s Day for a Mom Who is Also a Dad
Arron building dry fit wall This essay appeared on HelloGrief.com on June 8th, 2010. I thought I would repost it here in honor of all those dads who are also moms and all those moms who are also dads. Father’s Day never held much importance for our family until after Arron’s...
...continue readingLetting Go of Childhood
Olivia turns 15 She sat opposite from me at Poppy, her favorite restaurant with its Thali-style dishes – tiny bowls of succulent pickled rhubarb, or a tiny plate of perfectly grilled salmon, a fragrantly spiced Naan bread – and I had a momentary glimpse of her where I felt like...
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Spring morning, Vashon Island, WA with view of Mt. Rainier A perfect spring morning, the water smooth, teal silk. The mountain shows its shy face, both miniature and overwhelming at once. Tea on the deck in the sun after a cold, blustery, soggy Seattle week. The mothers are called one...
...continue readingFor My Grandad on his 97th Birthday
Power Snakes It was the kind of August day where you could smell winter coming, something indefinable, the smell of snow at the tail end of the summer breeze, hitching a ride. Up until that point, it had been hot, the kiddie pool set up the lawn, which baked in...
...continue readingWhere I’m From
“Mama, I forgot to give you this on Christmas,” he said. Apparently, I am not the only writer in the family… Where I’m From I am from snowboarding, from play dough and Lucky Charms I am from the basement, warm, safe and my favorite place to be I am from the aloe and...
...continue readingA Pirate’s Blue Moon
The choice of drinks was beer and “Margarita’s” but the kind made with something that looked like neon green Kool Aid (or Freshie as we called it in Canada), bile colour and sickly sweet. We all switched to beer after the first sip. The kids were lined up for...
...continue readingHappy Birthday Arron
Its funny as time passes, it seems less and less necessary to celebrate the big events, such as Arron’s birthday. Or maybe I should say, it seems less necessary to celebrate outwardly, the big events. Arron had the misfortune of having a birthday 3 days before Christmas. He always...
...continue readingAmuse Bouche
Man, one little birthday can sure throw off a whole week. But its been fun. We celebrated my rapidly advancing age (where does the time go?) at a fancy restaurant where we indulged our new “foodie” cravings. My kids, thanks to the help of The Food Network are becoming...
...continue reading10 Things I Love About September 11th
I know how weird that must sound, to love anything about September 11th, but here goes: On this day: 1. I am comforted in knowing that I will hear from friends and family from far and wide and know they are thinking about me, Arron and the kids. 2. I am reminded...
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Learning to live again after the sudden death of my husband Arron on 9/11. I wrote my book, The Alchemy of Loss, as a testament to finding the silver lining of grief and loss, to discovering the defibrillator effect of trauma and its power to awaken us into really living. I now live in Seattle with my two teenaged kids.
